BY DEBBIE PAGE
The Troutman Town Council and staff began the second day of its strategic planning retreat by brainstorming about the town’s needs and developing a vision for the future. Town Manager Justin Longino led the group through a structured process to inspire and organize their ideas.
Starting with things the council wanted to continue, members emphasized doing what’s best for the town, staff positivity, growing staff as the town grows, and the positive image and work of the Troutman Police Department to keep people safe.
Council member Eddie Nau noted that if people don’t feel safe, they will not want to live in the town. He appreciates that the police department listens to the community and is highly visible as they protect the community.
Nau also voiced the need for a construction oversight employee to ensure that developers are adhering to the conditions agreed upon with the town. Town Planner Andrew Ventresca said he was currently training an employee to fulfill that role.
Mayor Teross Young praised Police Chief Josh Watson for being forward thinking, especially in the area of planning for Troutman’s many events. After undergoing recent training with a state parks organization, Watson said he had begun rethinking how the town approaches public safety at these events.
Watson is instituting the use of incident action plans for each event. The police department’s security plan would be developed with Parks and Recreation, Public Works, Troutman Fire and Rescue, and other staff.
Watson also wants to increase partnership with other municipalities in Iredell County to strengthen public safety for all county residents.
Parks and Recreation Director Emily Watson said the town was fortunate to have had no incidents over the years. She praised the entire town staff for being all in on crowd management at these events, but she believes the town can always take steps to be better and having a formal plan in place for all types of possible incidents, including medical emergencies as well as potential threats, will enhance these events for all.
Council member Felina Harris expressed concerns about more aggressive drivers on Troutman’s streets. Mayor Young proposed more communication of expected traffic and driving behavior through the website, billboards, newsletter, and other means to set a standard for drivers on Troutman’s roads.
Chief Watson said that road rage incidents that the department has responded to are usually from Mecklenburg County, not Troutman residents. He agreed that an awareness campaign to promote safe driving habits would be beneficial.
Council member Tonya Bartlett agreed, saying that safety is the first consideration for any decision that the council makes.
Other ideas were to create community committees for more feedback, holding more community meetings, creating community information packets, encouraging more Adopt-A Street participation, and encouraging partnership and engagement with community members and organizations.
One proposed idea was to create an online “hub” for Troutman community service groups to help people in need, especially seniors and single parents who may lack the resources or hands-on support to correct problems found by code enforcement or who just need a helping hand.
Mayor Young praised Finance Director Gina Merrell’s plan to include monthly finance reports at each council meeting to provide greater community transparency and enhance council awareness of the town’s financial health.
Council member Nick Jaroszynski also liked Merrell’s plan to include more details on budget line items to improve spending clarity for council members and the community.
Jaroszynski also proposed that council members seek more outside information and learn from other communities through conferences, workshops, and professional organization boards, and research to bring back fresh ideas back to promote continuous improvement.
Mayor Young is also enthusiastic about the comprehensive land plan and map update that will occur this year because it will set the tone for the future and invite community feedback throughout the process. He emphasized that the council must stay connected to these plans and documents after their adoption as they take actions in the future.
Community members giving their opinions and voicing their concerns is important, added Young. They help guide the town so that it can grow in ways that benefit the community. Feedback also helps the town take advantage of new opportunities that may arrive, such as the addition of pickleball courts at ESC Park, which was not a part of the original park master plan.
Council member George Harris also strongly advocated for the council to consider options for the badly needed J. Hoyt Hayes Memorial Troutman Library expansion. During his recent campaign for the council seat, Harris said many residents voiced their support for enlarging the busy facility.
Other focus areas included pushing NCDOT to move on the long-delayed Flower House Loop/ Houston Road realignment and advocating for a second or a larger post office because with the closing of the Barium Springs location. As a result, some residents now travel to Mooresville to rent a post office box.
“Big ideas” the council expressed included continuing downtown development, walkability, and beautification and perhaps create a creating a unique footprint to make Troutman a distinctive destination.
Related ideas included taking over Wagner Street to West Avenue and Lytton Street from NCDOT to have better control of the area, creating a downtown overlay district, working with downtown business and property owners to beautify their facades, and using incentive grants to encourage curb appeal.
Adding a social district, encouraging upkeep of empty buildings for revitalization, completing the Lytton Street extension to Wagner Street, developing the new Town Hall facility at the former ESC facility, creating additional downtown parking, and expanding the greenway northward were also mentioned.
Other ideas were increased connectivity to recreation facilities, building connectivity from Lake Norman State Park to downtown, expanded wayfinding signage, instituting a signature town festival, creating more distinctive entrances to Troutman on main roads, and incorporating the fire department into the town.
The council then asked for staff input about the town’s needs. After Merrell emphasized planning for funding to accomplish some of these ideas, Ventresca reiterated his suggestion to hire a grant writer to obtain funds for all departments to work toward bringing these ideas to life.
Chief Watson advocated increasing staff space in the short end near term to better serve the community and to improve morale and staff retention.
After the group boiled down their ideas into three categories: safety, communication, and partnership, Longino planned to take all these ideas and input to develop detailed smart goals, embedded with time frames and periodic check-ins to maintain continued focus on priorities, for council consideration.